International Year of Astronomy, Day 6
A meteor shower is the result of an interaction between a planet and a comet. When a comet travels around the sun, it leaves a trail of debris (visible as the "tail" when the comet is near the sun). This debris is large made of ice and rock, and as the Earth orbits the sun, it passes through these streams. Debris enters the earth atmosphere and burn, forming meteors.
Seven showers you can expect in 2009 are:
1. Quadrantids
This shower radiates from inside the constellation Boötes, between the handle of the Big Dipper and the stars marking the head of the constellation Draco. It was discovered in the 1830s and has a very brief period of peak intensity around January 3.
2. Lyrids
The Lyrids are a strong meteor shower lasting from April 16 to April 26 each year, peaking around April 22-23. The typical count is 5 to 20 meteors an hour, though city lights obscure many. The source of the shower is the comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher. The Lyrids were noted in Chinese history dated back to 687 BCE.
3. Alpha Capricornids
The Capricornids occur at the end of July, and while the shower doesn't feature an impressive amount of meteors (less than 15 per hour), they are known for producing brilliant fireballs. Astronomers have not identified the object responsible for producing the Alpha Capricornids.
4. Perseids
The Perseids are a prolific meteor shower associated with the comet Swift-Tuttle. The shower is visible from mid-July to mid-August, peaking around August 12, when the rate is 60 or more meteors per hour. In early medieval Europe, the Perseids came to be known as the "tears of St. Lawrence."
5. Orionids
The Orionids had a radiant that is located near -- surprise! -- the constellation of Orion. The peak of the Orionid meteor shower occurs around October 21 and range typically from ten to fifteen meteors per hour. Halley's Comet is the source of this shower.
6. Leonids
The Leonids are a prolific meteor shower associated with the comet Tempel-Tuttle. The meteor shower is visible every year around November 17, plus or minus a week, when the Earth moves through the meteoroid stream of particles left from the passages of the comet. The storm in 1833 was incredible by all accounts -- estimates range from 100,000 to 200,000 meteors per hour over North America.
7. Geminids
The meteors from this shower can be seen in mid-December and usually peak around 12-14 of the month. The Geminid shower is thought to be intensifying every year and recent showers have seen 120-160 meteors per hour under optimal conditions.
See here for more info and pretty pictures.
Seven showers you can expect in 2009 are:
1. Quadrantids
This shower radiates from inside the constellation Boötes, between the handle of the Big Dipper and the stars marking the head of the constellation Draco. It was discovered in the 1830s and has a very brief period of peak intensity around January 3.
2. Lyrids
The Lyrids are a strong meteor shower lasting from April 16 to April 26 each year, peaking around April 22-23. The typical count is 5 to 20 meteors an hour, though city lights obscure many. The source of the shower is the comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher. The Lyrids were noted in Chinese history dated back to 687 BCE.
3. Alpha Capricornids
The Capricornids occur at the end of July, and while the shower doesn't feature an impressive amount of meteors (less than 15 per hour), they are known for producing brilliant fireballs. Astronomers have not identified the object responsible for producing the Alpha Capricornids.
4. Perseids
The Perseids are a prolific meteor shower associated with the comet Swift-Tuttle. The shower is visible from mid-July to mid-August, peaking around August 12, when the rate is 60 or more meteors per hour. In early medieval Europe, the Perseids came to be known as the "tears of St. Lawrence."
5. Orionids
The Orionids had a radiant that is located near -- surprise! -- the constellation of Orion. The peak of the Orionid meteor shower occurs around October 21 and range typically from ten to fifteen meteors per hour. Halley's Comet is the source of this shower.
6. Leonids
The Leonids are a prolific meteor shower associated with the comet Tempel-Tuttle. The meteor shower is visible every year around November 17, plus or minus a week, when the Earth moves through the meteoroid stream of particles left from the passages of the comet. The storm in 1833 was incredible by all accounts -- estimates range from 100,000 to 200,000 meteors per hour over North America.
7. Geminids
The meteors from this shower can be seen in mid-December and usually peak around 12-14 of the month. The Geminid shower is thought to be intensifying every year and recent showers have seen 120-160 meteors per hour under optimal conditions.
See here for more info and pretty pictures.